With UFC 154 in the books, the next major event on the MMA horizon is UFC on FOX 5, which comes to us on Saturday, December 8. When ratings for previous FOX showings didn’t quite live up to the hopeful expectations of the Zuffa brass, they decided…
With UFC 154 in the books, the next major event on the MMA horizon is UFC on FOX 5, which comes to us on Saturday, December 8.
When ratings for previous FOX showings didn’t quite live up to the hopeful expectations of the Zuffa brass, they decided that the best course of action would be to slam the next event full of big names and exciting fights.
The card for the network television broadcast includes four fights:
UFC Lightweight Championship: Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz
With a world title fight and two former champions on the card, it’s clear that the UFC is pulling out all of the stops to ensure that ratings for this event are above their predecessors.
Looking ahead two weeks, let’s take a look at the early betting odds and predictions for each contest.
When Fedor Emelianenko’s much-acclaimed career took a turn for the worst back in 2010, his lock on the mythical title of “Greatest of All Time” seemed to be slipping. After three consecutive losses, the consensus opinion is that UFC middleweight champi…
When FedorEmelianenko‘s much-acclaimed career took a turn for the worst back in 2010, his lock on the mythical title of “Greatest of All Time” seemed to be slipping. After three consecutive losses, the consensus opinion is that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has earned the crown.
Currently holding a flawless 16-0 record in the UFC, which includes a 3-0 run at light heavyweight, as well as ten defenses of his championship against some world-class athletes, Silva is a true member of the sport’s elite, and has looked invulnerable for most of his UFC career.
While I am part of the camp who thinks The Spider deserves such an honor, I think it is important to note that he has someone nipping at his heels.
On Saturday night, Georges St-Pierre made his return to the UFC and reminded fans of why he was once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Through 25 minutes of action, the longtime welterweight kingpin showed that his torn ACL wouldn’t hinder his speed or explosive takedown abilities, as was feared by many.
Let’s compare some of the major achievements and pitfalls of both Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva as I build a case for GSP as the greatest of all time.
Success rate
What more relevant statistic is there in determining the greatest of all time than win-loss record? The best fighter in the world is someone who can overcome adversity at every turn and still have his arm raised.
When looking at Georges St-Pierre, we see that he has put together a stellar record of 23-2. That is a 92 percent success rate.
On the other hand, Anderson Silva also has an immaculate record of his own. Sitting in at 33-4, the Spider’s 89.1 percent success rate comes in just shy. Even if we were to throw out the disqualification loss to YushinOkami, Silva would still be beneath Georges at 90.9 percent.
Total wins and quality of wins in the UFC
While the list of consecutive wins inside the Octagon is longer for Anderson Silva, we must not forget that Georges St-Pierre has more of them.
That might feel like splitting hairs, but when we look closer, we can also see that the quality of opponents for GSP is higher than that of Silva.
The least impressive names on St-Pierre’s UFC resume are Mayhem Miller and Jay Hieron. While neither man is a world beater, they went on to have notable careers while fighting for other organizations. Everyone else has been a legitimate threat to winning the UFC welterweight championship at some point in their career.
On the other hand, Anderson Silva has benefited from competing in a division that hasn’t historically had a lush assortment of worthy contenders. With title defenses against the likes of Patrick Cote and Thales Leites, as well as fights with Stephan Bonnar, James Irvin and Travis Lutter, there have been too many cake walks for The Spider.
Avenging losses
Everybody loses eventually. Every single champion on the UFC’s roster has lost at one time or another. The way you come back from those losses is what defines you as a fighter.
In the case of Georges St-Pierre, he has two losses, both via stoppage. Like a true warrior, the champ learned from his mistakes and dominated rematches against both Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. The fact that there is not a single unavenged loss on his record is a tremendous statement, and it’s something that Anderson Silva cannot claim for himself.
Defeating other champions
After a quick glance at GSP‘s record, we notice that several world champions are in his record. With wins over Matt Hughes (twice), BJ Penn (twice), Carlos Condit, Sean Sherk, Matt Serra and Jake Shields, Rush has won eight fights against fighters who were once ranked No. 1 in the world.
In comparison, Silva only has six. His wins over Rich Franklin (twice), Dan Henderson, VitorBelfort, Forrest Griffin and Carlos Newton are the only ones that came against men who once held world championships.
To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. As long as both Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre are active fighters, fighting a catchweight contest between their respective stomping grounds is the only way to prove who is ultimately deserving of the GOAT moniker.
Andrew Saunders is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report, and a pretty handsome one at that. Follow him on Twitter @SaundersMMA, and he will consider mailing you a warm chocolate chip cookie.
When the UFC returned to Montreal for UFC 154 on Saturday night, the crowd surrounding the Octagon was electric. Almost as electric as the action taking place inside.Bonuses for the event, worth $70,000 each, were given out in the standard categor…
When the UFC returned to Montreal for UFC 154 on Saturday night, the crowd surrounding the Octagon was electric. Almost as electric as the action taking place inside.
Bonuses for the event, worth $70,000 each, were given out in the standard categories. Let’s take a look at our winners.
Fight of the Night: Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit
There were only two major candidates for the night’s top prize. When it came down to either GSP vs. Condit or an exciting featherweight contest between Mark Hominick and Pablo Garza, the championship main event had to get the nod.
The most exciting moment of the fight certainly was the head-kick landed by Carlos Condit that had fans nationwide jumping out of their chairs. However, the true electricity felt was surrounding the return of champion GSP, and that alone added tremendous emotional attachment to this fight.
Submission of the Night: Ivan Menjivar
The Facebook preliminaries housed some great action, including the submission of the night performance from veteran Ivan Menjivar.
With the larger and more powerful AzamatGashimov in top position, Menjivar quickly grabbed a hold of his opponents leg for control before snatching up a beautiful armbar.
Knockout of the Night: Johny Hendricks
Regardless of whether or not Johny Hendricks scored the only knockout on the entire card, this fight would have likely taken home top honors.
Needing only 46 seconds to obliterate Martin Kampmann, Hendricks now owns knockout wins over two top-five welterweights. He put an exclamation point on his request for a title shot against GSP with an enormous left hand that had “The Hitman” out cold before his body hit the canvas.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for post-fight analysis on all things UFC 154.
Oftentimes, the preliminary portion of UFC events feature quality names and outstanding competition. At UFC 154, that rang true once again, as notables like Matt Riddle, Ivan Menjivar, Sam Stout and former title contender Patrick Cote all competed on t…
Oftentimes, the preliminary portion of UFC events feature quality names and outstanding competition. At UFC 154, that rang true once again, as notables like Matt Riddle, Ivan Menjivar, Sam Stout and former title contender Patrick Cote all competed on the undercard.
After seven fights that had much at stake, as many fighters had their arm raised in victory. In the fast-paced world of mixed martial arts, you’ve got to be looking ahead to your next fight the moment after the decision is read.
Here is a look at what’s next for the preliminary card winners.
One man’s misfortune often benefits someone else.In the event of Nick Ring’s unfortunate inability to compete this evening, Antonio Carvalho and Rodrigo Damm were given a boost from the Facebook preliminary card onto the FX portion of UFC 154.Both men …
One man’s misfortune often benefits someone else.
In the event of Nick Ring’s unfortunate inability to compete this evening, Antonio Carvalho and Rodrigo Damm were given a boost from the Facebook preliminary card onto the FX portion of UFC 154.
Both men won their most recent bout in the UFC via first-round stoppage and entered this fight looking to continue building momentum.
Ultimately, this fight was contested exclusively in the standup department, with Carvalho winning a split decision after three rounds of action.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
The endless and brutal supply of kicks that Carvalho landed on Damm.
The left leg of Damm was swollen and bruised by the midpoint of Round 1. Each time that the kick landed, you could hear commentator Joe Rogan audibly flinch in empathy.
What we learned about Antonio Carvalho:
That he knows how to stick to a game plan.
With his opponent possessing superior grappling credentials, Carvalho was smart to ignore his own jiu-jitsu prowess in lieu of a kickboxing based strategy. The leg kicks were enough to slow down the attack of his opponent.
We also learned that Carvalho has a little bit of trouble pulling the trigger after receiving power strikes. The second round saw Damm scoring with shots and the Canadian growing tentative in his striking.
What we learned about Rodrigo Damm:
That he isn’t scared to stand and bang.
Despite having his leg lit on fire by a series of kicks, Damm pushed forward and continued to strike instead of looking to take this fight to the canvas and utilize his world-class jiu-jitsu.
With heavy pressure, Damm could have stolen this fight (depending on how the judges viewed the attack). Octagon control belonged to Damm for the final two rounds and he displayed much more aggression towards the end.
What’s next for Antonio Carvalho:
With some momentum on his side, Carvalho has shown that he is worthy of his roster spot.
It would be interesting to see how well his jiu-jitsu would hold up against another quality grappler. Personally, I’d like to see him square off with Rani Yahya.
What’s next for Rodrigo Damm:
Damm showed serious toughness in this fight by refusing to slow down, despite being left with a flat tire after the first round.
In the ultra-competitive featherweight division, there is no guarantee that an Ultimate Fighter: Brazil contestant will get another contest.
But if he does, he should face someone like Felipe Arantes.
Despite both Steven Siler and Darren Elkins entering the UFC’s featherweight division after major losses, each man has slowly and quietly spent the last year building tremendous momentum under the radar.With three consecutive wins each, this fight woul…
Despite both Steven Siler and Darren Elkins entering the UFC’s featherweight division after major losses, each man has slowly and quietly spent the last year building tremendous momentum under the radar.
With three consecutive wins each, this fight would give the ultra-competitive division a dark horse challenger for 2013.
Elkins won this fight by unanimous decision and is now 4-0 in the UFC featherweight division.
What we’ll remember about this fight
The dominance of Darren Elkins. He wanted this fight on the ground, and he got his wish for the vast majority of the contest. Looking for submissions at several moments and when that didn’t work, he didn’t mind bloodying Siler with ground and pound.
What we learned about Darren Elkins
That his pressure only getting better. Siler needed to fight from a distance to have an advantage in this bout, and Elkins wouldn’t give him an inch. This pressure allowed him to earn takedowns in each round and had a body triangle from the back for the majority of Round 2.
We also learned that Elkins isn’t content with his decision victories. Looking for a guillotine in the first round, the wrestler surprised Siler by pulling guard and locking up a Cody McKenzie-style choke.
What we learned about Steven Siler
That his bottom game is pretty solid. He did a good job of regaining guard after Elkins gained a dominant position, and once there, the TUF fighter did a good job of controlling posture and throwing short shots.
If his ability to regain guard impressed you, then you must have loved his incredible submission defense. For the majority of Round 2, Siler fended off several rear-naked choke attempts, all while throwing back elbows to do damage. Also, the guillotine choke that he escaped late in Round 1 showed incredible heart, resilience and technique.
What’s next for Darren Elkins
4-0 in his new division is a major statement. Elkins will get a step up in competition, and I think that will come in the form of former WEC champion Mike Brown.
What’s next for Steven Siler
This loss will only make Siler stronger. He has already defeated a UFC notable in Cole Miller, so don’t expect any sort of easy fight to come next. If the loser of tonight’s Mark Hominick vs. Pablo Garza fight still has a job on Monday morning, they would make a good stylistic matchup.
When